ALLEGED LIBEL

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 151, 27 June 1924, Page 7

ALLEGED LIBEL

A "SALE" OF BOOTS. I CLAIM FOR £5000 DAMAGES. (By Teleftraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Further evidence was heard this afternoon in the libel case in which Messrs Hart, Penlington, Ltd., Wellington, J merchants, are claiming £5000 damages from Messrs. R. Hannah and Company, j Wellington, boot and shoe manufacturers. I The action arose from an advertisement I which plaintiffs claimed meant that they 'were insolvent or in financial difficulty I and had been compelled to dispose of j boots and shoes at considerably less than their value, or alternatively that the ; plaintifl's hnd ceased to carry on busijness generally, or at least in boots and i shoes. J Witnesses were called from Auckland, i Hamilton and Carterton, who gave cviIdence to the effect that they saw the ', advertisement on posters and that in coni sequence they had done no further business with Messrs. Hart, Penlington, Ltd. They took the meaning of the poster to be that Messrs. Hart, Penlington, Ltd., had sold their stock !to Hannah's at 50 per cent under cost land that they had done so because they iwere "hard up" for money. They would not have taken the same course of refusing to deal with plaintiffs had they known of the true facts as given by plain--1 tiffs, namely, that the goods represented a clearing sale of warehouse stock, including oddments and dead stock, etc., 'at a price of 20 per cent under landed cost. I The hearing was adjourned. WELLINGTON, this day. The hearing of evidence in the £5000 claim of Hart, Penlington, Ltd., was I continued, in the Supreme Court to-day. Witnesses said they had seen the advertisement, and had deduced therefrom that Hart, Penlington, Ltd., were up against it, or out of business, and had i cancelled orders, or had diverted orders to other firms. The case is proceeding.